Ignorance and Foolish Notions
by TMGH
Summary: Klaus/Elijah  Stars live up to see more than a billion lives end before it, but take less than a second to perish forever. In his mind, a black hole is fast approaching.
1. Chapter 1

He sits in an abandoned cottage on the verge of ruins - in a windowless room with half-finished stone walls and an uneven floor.

He sits in an old, wooden chair, and watches the world.

The younger Salvatore sits in a chair opposite his. The young vampire's body leans forward and his hands cover his face. He seems troubled, but he remains silent.

The older Salvatore stands besides his brother, drinking his fourth glass of vodka this half hour. He remarks about being the one to decapitate "that little son of a bitch" later. There is a tremble in his voice.

In the far corner of the room, surrounded by candles and blood-drawn pentagrams, the warlock tries to communicate with the others of his kind.

_Five minutes. _The warlock's announcement increases the tension around them; his hands shake as he closes his eyes and continues to hold on to the two things that bind him together with his son and his friend.

Five minutes.

Despite having lived for nearly a millennium, Elijah considers these five minutes an especially long amount of time.

Yes. Five minutes until it is decided who among them will survive: him or Klaus?

He sits in his old, wooden chair, and closes his eyes.

* * *

It is but a dark evening. The night sky is filled with stars: small, massive, shining, dull; they all look at him blankly, accustomed to his nocturnal apperances the past two days. After all, he can barely leave in the daylight lately, worried by Klaus' newfound fear of it; Elijah himself finds it a bit fitting, really, because ever since _that day_ they have been running - have been traveling towards the setting sun. And thus, for the past two days, the routine has been the same; they sleep in the day, and, as soon as dusk breaks, they resume their journey to the west.

Tonight, however, Elijah, still waiting for his company to arrive from wherever he has ran off to, finds himself sitting alone and staring at the stars.

Science dictates that stars are gigantic, gleaming balls of plasma, held together by the sheer force of gravity. See, stars - from being navigators to providing as great sources of energy - are quite worthwhile, which is lovely since they last for a very long time; the irony is, though, stars live up to see more than a billion lives end before it, but take less than a second to perish forever.

But, of course, he will not know about those things 'til over centuries have passed. This story takes place a long a time ago, when he was still consumed by ignorance and foolish notions.

That night, as he watches the stars, he can only think about his eccentric sister; she has always stayed at home, drowning herself in books of lore and myths, while he has always preferred venturing out into the woods for the tranquility of it. One night, he remembers, he comes home late and she just sits there, staring up at the so-called massive balls of gases, muttering about how - for the last few hours - she has been convinced that, torn about by beasts in the woods, Elijah has become one of the stars in the heavens - that, in having lived an earthly life, his spirit has stayed in the skies - stuck between afterlife and the earth he so dearly loved. Over time, Elijah will discover that both theories, in fact, contain truth in them, though by then he merely thought his sister was speaking in tongues.

He misses her sometimes.

Elijah feels a presence nearby; certain it is his friend, he does not bother to turn his head and acknowledge his presence.

Klaus sits beside him. He is eerily silent.

It is a while before one of them speaks.

_She's gone, Elijah._ Klaus finally breaks the silence.

Elijah's eyes do not move away from the sky.

_She's gone._ Klaus repeats as if he finds the statement difficult to fathom.

Elijah is not surprised. He has known about it a night ago when he heard Klaus talk in his sleep.

Elijah is not surprised - at least, not by Klaus' statement. His view does not wander off the night sky; he tries to avert his face from Klaus' view, afraid his friend might see the selfish expression plastered on his face.

_She's gone,_ as if he wants to make Elijah feel more like a sick, self-centered bastard, Klaus mutters it again, and this time his voice cracks midway as he tries to hold back his tears.

_I killed her._ Klaus whispered at last before breaking into overdue sobbing. It is the only time he has ever seen his friend cry.

But Elijah makes no clear response. He did not move at all.

He feels like the stars are laughing at him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's it for now, then. Forgive my rambling. With the hiatus and all, I just needed something to appease my rediscovered love for The Vampire Diaries (especially now with the very engrossing Doppelganger/Originals arc. Elijah is too cool, and Klaus is very intriguing, which is saying something, considering we haven't met him yet). I plan to make this a three-chapter fic. I'm a lazy ass though, so I will most likely be updating infrequently/this will turn into a one-shot. So, yeah. Peace out.


	2. Chapter 2

Klaus runs.

He bites his lip out of habit, ignoring the poorly hidden sentry wards built around him by two inexperienced witches. It is a shame, really - on any other occasion he would stop to amuse himself with the children, but for now, he is forced to shift his focus to other things.

So he runs.

For as long as he can remember, he has always been running: to get to somewhere, or to get away from it. It does not matter; either way, it has always been how he preferred living - or, more correctly, existing.

But, of course, like any other age-old backstory, there will _always_ be_ that one time, _and there will _always_ be _that one girl._

Klaus is no exception.

* * *

He stops.

Even long after the whole incident, he is still unable to tell how he feels exactly about that moment; upon reminiscence, sometimes, it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Other times, he finds himself smiling.

He remembers, however, beauty.

Or was it, on the contrary, something unsightly? He is not sure. He is rarely sure about anything anymore.

_Klaus,_ he remembers her calling his name. It is a starless night, and even though nothing is to be found anywhere but darkness, he can _feel_ her eyes glint.

Her name is Charlotte Petrova - the fairest lady in the village, though one with such an inexplicable strangeness that, despite her beauty, village folk find her repulsing. Klaus, however, recalls finding the very same aura alluring - or, like the others, has he found it to be appalling, as well? He is not sure. He is rarely sure about anything anymore.

Klaus makes no response - he merely stands there, unmoving, not even daring to breathe.

_Do you run from me, Klaus? _A playful smirk played across her lips.

_Would I have stopped if I were? _His reply comes almost automatically.

She laughs at him. She laughs beautifully. Yes, he remembers now. He has found her to be prepossessing.

_But you betray me, Klaus._

Yet he has been in love with someone else. And, as if it is some masochistic bastard, his mind recalls the next few minutes most clearly - it is almost like he is reliving the past. To this day, he still wonders how everything would have played out had things turned differently.

_I know where you are, you little bitch. _Charlotte says out loud. _You will come out if you know what is good for you._

His lover comes out of a narrow passageway behind him, exposing herself, looking like she is trying hard not to wear out Charlotte's patience. He holds her shaking hand as tightly he can.

_Have you no gratitude, Klaus?_ The glint in her eyes disappears.

_I owe you nothing. _He mutters without thinking.

She sneers at him.

_Nothing? _she says, almost mockingly. _I gave you your life back!_

_Do you expect me to believe you brought me back to life? _He laughs, getting back the littlest amount of courage at the utter absurdity of the wench's statement.

Charlotte's face does not bear any amusement.

_You were dead. _She finally reveals. What courage he has just shortly regained has now gone again - as if in his own heart, he has known all the time. Charlotte Petrova speaks the truth. _When my brother brought you back from the woods, you breathed no longer! You were dead, Klaus! Torn apart by beasts! If I had not made a pact with Azazel himself, you would not even be standing there._

_You used sorcery on me? _He utters with pure disgust.

_I saved your life!_ She stresses every word, her collected composure completely vanished. _And I hold it in my hands, Klaus._

For the first time, she looks at the woman next to him.

_Please. _His voice suddenly cracks. He holds his lover's hand tighter. _She's my wife, Charlotte._

_To every bargain there is a price. _Her eyes stay locked on the woman beside him

_Please, _he pleads one more time. He feels his grip on his wife's hand once more, but she lets go and runs for her dear life.

Klaus clearly remembers the humiliation he suffered as Charlotte laughed heartily. Had this happened at present, he would indubitably have been less forgiving. But back then, well ...

_Just don't do anything to her, please, _he mutters silently.

_I will not. You have my word._

Not from where they are, in a fit of panic, his lover stumbles on uneven ground and falls hard. Charlotte chuckles, almost as if she has anticipated which has transpired. Unsure of what to do, Klaus runs to where his partner now lies. Charlotte follows slowly after him.

The rest happens quickly. Klaus does not know how and when it began, but he realizes he can hear _everything_: the beating of hearts, the sound of Charlotte's footsteps, his wife's labored breathing. Above all, there is a certain scent looming in the air - it drives him mad and forces him to search for where it is coming from. He suddenly finds it difficult to care about his wife.

_I understand you also have a son._ Charlotte speaks coldly. _You mustn't see him henceforth._

_Charlotte_, he calls out pitifully. He can barely control himself.

_I would have helped you. _She whispers to his ear, and he _hears _her turn around and leave.

He looks up slowly, trying to contain himself - trying to contain the sound of everything - trying to contain _that_ smell. His eyes scan the narrow passageway from where his wife has hidden; the wider one near it that leads to his house; the village square not far away from where he kneels.

Klaus stares down at the woman on the ground, blood trickling down the back of her head.

He does not want to run anymore.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Aaaaah, I am sorry if this strays away too much from the story from the books. I really don't follow it so I probably got facts wrong. All I know is Elijah doesn't exist there and the Petrova girl's name was Charlotte, so I figured, eh. Haha.


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus feels different.

He fails to remember what has occurred the past few minutes and, truth be told, he could not care less. Right now, in a haze, he simply walks. He does not know where he is heading. He walks only for the sake of walking.

It is like his body is controlling himself. But he could not care less. His mind is only set on one thought.

He _really_ wants to kill someone.

He hears the murmurs of the village folk from blocks away. He hears the sound of their pitchforks silently hitting the ground. He smells fire from far away. There is naught but fear in the villagers' voices.

He feels so powerful, but he could not care less. He only walks, letting the people continue with their false display of bravery.

Klaus feels like he is God.

Just as he is about to laugh at the villagers' foolishness - at the very quality that makes them human - at their absurd attempt to hunt _him_ down - someone pulls him to a dark, narrow, almost hidden, alleyway.

He comes face to face with the best and most feared hunter in town. The hunter's face bears no semblance of the fake valour that the others are wearing. The wooden spear in his hand remains unmoving. His heartbeat is intimidatingly steady.

Klaus laughs. No wonder he has not been alarmed by his presence.

Klaus feels different.

* * *

In the hunter's hand is a wooden spear he has just completed carving earlier. He feels its sharp tip prick his thumb slightly, as if to confirm that the weapon is, indeed, deadly. He has not a doubt that it can kill the man in front of him.

He holds his stance, silently examining his company. He takes note of his captive's nervous laugh.

_Elijah!_ The man calls out. _What are you doing here? I thought we were to meet at the outskirts of town?_

Elijah looks back at him. Klaus seems strangely dangerous, but Elijah feels his friend drop his guard at the sight of him.

In his hand, Elijah knows for certain, he holds the power to end this man's life.

He sighs, and even in the coming centuries, he still does not know if he has come to regret making the decision he has made; in the next few seconds, Elijah fails to notice the blood stains on his friend's shirt; he overlooks the fact that the woman Klaus plans to elope with is missing, or the fact that his friend's eyes seem to have been sparked by something unimaginably grim. In the next few seconds, one of the best hunters in the Byzantine empire fails to spot anything considerably wrong with his friend, and drops the weapon in his hand.

_Klaus, I've known you for quite a while now and I have naught an idea how you do it, but you're _always_ right on time__ despite being a lazy ass, _Elijah calmly replies with his usual hushed voice that contrasts his friend's_. West of the village, I've readied horses for us. I fear the others are already on the lookout for you, so we must leave at once._

_My friend, you are indispensable! _Klaus suddenly pulls Elijah in for an embrace, making the latter feel an unspeakable amount of discomfort. Elijah cannot help but smile anyway, for though he has he found his friend's excessive - lady-like, even - display of affection exasperating at first, he has found it endearing over time. _By the gods, I swear, your absence will be the death of me._

Elijah only looks up at the night sky.

Somewhere above, a new star shines.

* * *

He opens his eyes.

He is back to where he has been five minutes ago. He eyes the Salvatore vampires who, in silence and in feigned machismo, are subconsciously reassuring each other that they _will_ make it through. The warlock, a nondescript necklace wrapped tightly around one of his hands, now also seems more relaxed, knowing that his son's life is still present.

_Presence._ The word rings clear on Elijah's mind.

He leaves the comfort of his old, wooden chair and stands up, drawing everyone's attention. In the blink of an eye, the tension in the room is back again. A smirk makes its way to Elijah's face.

Funny, isn't it? How the mere presence of someone can make or break you?

_It's been a long time, Klaus, _he mutters_._

Exactly five minutes have passed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Holy crap, I finished writing this! Now I must treat myself to ten cans of Diet Coke. You should, too, for miraculously being able to read to random scribbles 'til the very end. Kudos to us! Haha. Also, am I the only one who ships Klaus/Elijah? That makes me feel really sad. lol. Peace out.


End file.
